Medical examiners have ruled as accidental the death of a 42-year-old Murray man who died after a scuffle with grocery store employees Sept. 18.
Joseph Felicetta III was suspected of stealing eight over-the-counter nasal inhalers from Albertson's Food Center, 5570 S. 900 East, and collapsed after store employees confronted him inside the store and engaged in a struggle in their attempts to detain him until police arrived.The inhalers contain the drug L-desoxyepherine, which may have contributed to the man's death under the circumstances, according to the medical examiners' report that is signed by Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Edward A. Leis.
"In the absence of this drug, it is possible but most unlikely that events of the altercation would have resulted in the death of the individual," the report says, adding that Felicetta suffered a "cardiac rhythm disturbance" as a result of a combined effect of the drug and the trauma of the altercation.
Murray Detective Sam Skaggs characterized the wording of the examiners' report as being somewhat ambiguous. The police department will review the circumstances of Felicetta's death and the examiners' report with the county attorney's office Nov. 2 and let county prosecutors decide whether any charges should be pursued against the store employees.